Brutalism is out now on Anti Records
Brooklyn’s beloved indie pop band, The Drums graced the stage at Black Cat in Washington, D.C. on and boy, was it a treat. The venue was packed all the way to the entrance and as soon as lead singer, Jonny Pierce hopped on stage, the building came alive. Pierce kicked off the show with the new album’s title track, “Brutalism,” to get the capacity-crowd warmed up and feeling good. Halfway through the song, it was clear he could feel the energy of the crowd and knew it was going to be a great show.
Every song after that, Pierce swayed his body back and forth and spun around while dancing across the stage. He was definitely in his element while he smiled and posed for every camera he caught a glimpse of – including my own, luckily. See my photos from the show below.
The Drums are currently on tour performing their latest album, Brutalism, which was released in April on Anti Records. Longtime fans of the band may discover that the album is much different from their previous releases. With the new album, Pierce is experimenting with modern-day electro-pop sounds more than ever – straying slightly away from the original sound that defined The Drums. With Pierce now being the sole member of the original band still performing, some argue this is why he wants to try a different sound for himself. Regardless, I was loving Jonny’s performance at Black Cat.
The album features the single “Body Chemistry,” which he performed midway through his set and the crowd went wild for it. As Pierce spun around, the crowd became increasingly frenzied, deciding to join in on the fun and start a friendly mosh pit. Other features on the album include the main single, “Blip of Joy”, which they closed their set with before performing the encores. The album is now available on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.
In all, The Drums put on a very energetic and exciting performance. In between songs, Pierce told a couple stories about what the songs meant to him and told jokes to the crowd. Of course, they performed an encore with their most iconic songs “Money” from 2011’s Portamento album and “Let’s Go Surfing” from the band’s 2010 self-titled debut which closed out an amazing time.
A highlight for me, which I noticed as soon as I got to the venue was the diversity of the crowd. Everyone of all different backgrounds, sexuality, and style showed up and that says a lot about the artist and the various kinds of people they appeal to. Everyone was in good spirits and there was no negativity. They were all there to enjoy a great show. The Drums still have plenty of shows left of the tour as it ends in the second week of August. See the full list and dates from now until August 8 as well as some photos from the performance at The Black Cat below.
07/25/19 – August Hall, San Francisco, CA
07/26/19 – Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA
07/30/19 – The Observatory North Park, San Diego, CA
07/31/19 – Brooklyn Bowl, Las Vegas, NV
08/01/19 – The Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ
08/02/19 – Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM
08/03/19 – Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
08/06/19 – Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
08/07/19 – Imperial Vancouver, Vancouver, Canada
08/08/19 – The Showbox, Seattle, WA
07/25/19 – August Hall, San Francisco, CA
07/26/19 – Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA
07/30/19 – The Observatory North Park, San Diego, CA
07/31/19 – Brooklyn Bowl, Las Vegas, NV
08/01/19 – The Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ
08/02/19 – Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM
08/03/19 – Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
08/06/19 – Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
08/07/19 – Imperial Vancouver, Vancouver, Canada
08/08/19 – The Showbox, Seattle, WA
All photos by Derek Admana for Soundazed
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